Verirrt Reisen
by SetsunaNoroi
Summary: AU Danny Fenton is the nephew to Vlad Masters, owner of a carvan of legendary creatures, enchanted people, and for some, lost souls. In a land of magic and fantasy, nothing is impossible. But a darkness looms and Danny must save the only home he has left.
1. Lost Souls' Caravan

You know what, I really should not be doing this. I have Time will be the Judge I really need to get better about updating, Pretty Pet to try and finish, one shot requests that some people are waiting for, and clubs I am supposed to be running. But you know what? This idea has shown up, grabbed me by the throat and snarled right in my face that it is not letting me go until I start writing it. Seriously, I can not get it out of my head. I feel as if my own imagination had taken me hostage. So, what choice do I have but to write when I am demanded to?

Well, this story is an AU of Danny Phantom. It is a fantasy setting with several different influences from magic and other races to crazy scientists and even some slight steam punk. I am incorporating things from the show that are both canon and that never quite made it in (even though the fact that some of the concept ideas were great), drawing a few ideas of my own, and doing research into actual mythology for some of the things that will be in this story. Like Time will be the Judge, I plan on it being quite long, complicated and (hopefully) epic. Unlike Time, I have not put in nearly as much planning into it, though I do have the basic idea for plot. However, this may effect the quality somewhat. I'll do my best to keep it from happening, but it might. I apologize in advance if something is not up to my usual par and by all means, feel free to point anything out to me if you feel that is the case. It's what reviews are for, feel free to use them.

Oh, and this fic is adult. Way adult. Foul language, crude behavior, sex (expect a lot of it too, I have plenty of pairings in this fic to explore), violence, things we today would consider immoral like slave trading and so forth, and lots and lots of slash. There will be guy/guy, girl/girl, and girl/guy so everything is covered. Basically, I would except just about anything. Just letting you all know, if any of that stuff offends or bothers you, you might not want to read this, just as a friendly warning.

I think that basically covers the groundwork of everything, except for the disclaimer. Danny Phantom does not belong to me. The show belongs to Butch Hartman and Nickelodeon. This is made only to entertain, not for profit. Please support the official release of the show.

Chapter One: The Lost Souls' Caravan

Flames licked the midnight sky high above it, the red and orange dancing almost merrily against the harsh blackness, broken only by flickers of lights in the stars and full moon. The fire was raging high and strong, leaving little in it's path in peace, consuming nearly everything that it touched. In the middle of it all though, curled up tightly in a small ball, was a child. He was shivering despite the intense heat on a small patch of earth, crying harshly.

Tears streamed down his filthy face, his eyes clenched shut against the horrors around him. His body was bruised and in a heap, as if trying to hide inside of himself against what was going on around him.

Above him, a dark figure loomed. It stood stock still until the boy seemed to sense the fact that he was not alone in the fire. Lifting his head slowly, he opened wide blue eyes to the person, almost immediately letting out a squeak of terror and trying to scramble away. Strong hands caught him before he had even managed to get steady on his feet and refused to release his hold on the little boy as he struggled.

"Let me go!" the young child cried out as he yanked fruitlessly. Red eyes narrowed at him, seeming to glow in the light of the fire and fangs gleaming horribly. The boy started to cry even harder as he stared up at the man, for it definitely was a man, even if he could not have been human. No human being had skin such a strange color. "Please! Don't kill me! I don't wanna die!"

The man ignored the screams and pleads, only yanking him close, but when the boy thought he would be hurt, he was only held tightly. He blinked in shock when he realized he was being hugged, comforted.

"It's okay Danny," a voice whispered in his ear. "It'll all be okay. You'll be safe from now on."

#-#

Danny's eyes opened suddenly, waking up in almost an instant. Sitting up with a small groan, he put his face in his hands and tried to rub the sleep away from his eyes. He looked around, seeing nothing except his normal bedroom, light streaming in as little slivers, both from the window not completely covered by his curtains and the cracks and gaps between the boards of the wooden wagon that he lived in. Nothing was out of place, his spare clothes hanging off of bent nails, the dust covered trunk with his other belongings, the bunk above him that appeared to be empty already, the quilt he slept under with the colors now fading after all the years since it had been made from him. Even Johnny snoring in the bed across from his own was on par with how his mornings usually started.

He rubbed his eyes again, trying to remember what he had been dreaming before he had woken up, but it was becoming dimmer and dimmer in his mind as the seconds passed by. It really didn't surprise him anymore, even though it was still a bit irritating. He had that dream a lot, on and off, for the last ten years. Yet every time it happened, the details started to slip away before he was even fully awake, leaving him to nothing more than his bed in the morning light.

He didn't forget everything really. He remembered the fire, that that was the night his family had been killed, his fear when he had looked up at the man who was his savor, but the details always got so murky once he would regain consciousness. It was annoying, even though he really didn't know why. He wondered if he should tell Vlad about it again.

Danny shook his head stubbornly. He wasn't going to bother his uncle about this again. It was just a stupid dream. So what if he kept remembering his uncle showing up and saving him from getting killed or being left alone. It was something anyone would still think about... wasn't it?

"Okay, you look awful," a tired voice sounded, surprising Danny out of his thought process. He hadn't even noticed Johnny had woken up and now the other young man was watching him from his own bed with a gaze that made him look brain dead. Danny knew it didn't have anything to do with Johnny just waking up either. His best friend just looked that stupid all the time.

"Thanks," Danny replied as he threw his quilt off of him and stood up, stretching and looking out the window. "Looks like there are already some of them up. You better get out of bed before a certain someone decides she need to come wake you for breakfast and work."

Johnny only groaned and pulled his own blanket over his head, only a bit of straw colored hair poking out. Danny rolled his eyes.

"Come on, mate," he said. "We both know Kitty will come storming up here any minute to demand you get out of bed. I don't want her shouting at me for not properly motivating you again."

Johnny groaned again, though it sounded more out of fear than annoyance this time.

"Sure, get married, run away and join the circus, sounded great when when I first thought of it," he muttered as he kicked off his blankets.

"Why'd you bother with getting married when you hate being tied down?" Danny asked. "You can't stand responsibility."

"Got two words for you, frequent sex," he replied with a smug grin.

"Right, and how much have you gotten since you got cursed?"

Johnny's grin fell and he threw a boot at Danny's head. It didn't do much but pass right through the black-haired teen's face, but it still gave the other some satisfaction.

"That reminds me, Shadow! Do me a favor and tell Kitty I'll be down for breakfast soon."

The shadows in the room seemed to shudder for a moment before melting down to the floor and slipping out of the cracks of the door. It brightened the wagon up considerably, making it look like it was actually morning rather than dusk.

"Don't get me wrong," Johnny said as he got out of his bed and began to get dressed. "I love Kitty, I really do. And I knew the whole building a home and cooling down a little around each other was going to happen. I just didn't figure it would happen after being legally bound to her for the rest of my life after just two days."

"Well, that's what you get for messing with my uncle's things," Danny replied, getting ready for the day as well as he pulled his clothes on.

"It got me the job, didn't it?" Johnny shot back.

"Yeah, but you're working at a carnival that one of the major requirements seems to be a lost soul or magically enchanted somehow," the teen answered. "You could have been a cobbler or something and gotten all the 'I wanna have a dozen brats with you' fucks you wanted."

Johnny shot him a look.

"Do _**you**_ want to be some boring cobbler?" he asked flatly.

Danny opened his mouth before realizing he had nothing to say back. Johnny immediately noticed and looked embarrassed.

"Hey, sorry. You know I didn't mean it like that," he said honestly. "We were just talking and kidding around."

"Yeah, I know," he replied reassuringly. "Don't worry about it. I keep telling you, it's not like I'm touchy about it. Things happen. Besides, it was years ago. The only reason I'm thinking about it now is I had the dream again."

"You mean you had it again? Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes," he replied with a nod. "Really, it's fine. I know you didn't mean anything malicious by it."

"Yeah, I know" Johnny said. "But I still have a big mouth."

"No argument here."

"Mate, shut up."

Danny smirked. He had to admit, as much as he and Johnny bickered with one another, he had been very happy when he had come along. It had only been five months since he and his freshly married girl had shown up, intent to find adventure and a wonderful life together. They had come to the Circus Gothika, thinking it was just as magical as the legends said it was. The problem was, it was that magical, but magic that was not respected had a tendency to get even with you quick. All it had taken was the two sneaking in to Vlad's wagon to wait for the nightly shows to be over in order to ask for jobs, a curious young man with eager hands, and a shattered enchanted vase later to have the man's shadow cursed with free will.

It was lucky Vlad had taken pity on Johnny, but then again, that was in his nature. Nearly everyone in the caravan had some sort of trouble they needed to try and solve or run away from. He had taken them all in, given them a place to belong and live. When he did the same for Johnny, Danny had found himself with another roommate besides the one he already had and a charge to teach the trade of entertainment to. They had often bickered and fought, but despite it, they had become fast friends, the snarky comments simply how they communicated with one another.

Perhaps it was because he had never had a friend his own age that was also male. Tucker counted, sort of, but they didn't have much in common. An 'inventor' that was interested more in technology than magic, they didn't often have much to talk about. Not to mention he spent so much of his time chasing skirts, something that Danny had absolutely no interest in either. While Johnny was no doubt as straight as an arrow too, he couldn't exactly try and woo any village girl they passed by without risking getting murdered, so would never try and drag Danny along for any attempts either. For whatever reason though, they had just gotten along perfectly fine in the short amount of time they had known each other.

He knew if it ever came to it, Johnny was his best mate, without question. Joking went out the window the second it seemed like something was wrong, though part of him wished he hadn't mentioned his dream now. His friend was looking worried. Everyone always did when he brought it up. It's why he didn't anymore, at least, not when he remembered to keep his mouth shut.

"Hey, really, I'm okay," he said, clapping a hand on the other's shoulder. "Come on, let's get some breakfast."

Johnny at least gave him the benefit of the doubt and walked out the door. The seventeen-year-old was glad for it. This was the last way he'd want to start his day.

It was not that Danny did not care about the death of his parents and older sister. He wasn't cold, and they were family, but the truth was it had happened ten years ago. He'd been a little kid when it had happened, not even able to fully remember what his family had even looked like. He'd stopped grieving about it a long time ago.

If it hadn't been for the dreams, he probably wouldn't think about it at all anymore. Desiree told him that it was probably him still trying to process what had happened to him, but he thought that was pretty stupid. What more was there to process? He wasn't trying to force himself not to feel, he had moved on. Unfortunately he was sometimes was foolish enough to let it slip, and there was only so many people to talk to in the caravan. Once one person heard something, it wasn't worth it to bet that everyone else didn't know about it by the time the day was out.

Well, maybe he would get lucky and his best friend would have more interesting things to talk about today as he worked.

Walking out of his small home, he shut the door behind him and looked over the many other wagons forming the circle of camp. They were only a few days ride from the capital, a little ahead of schedule due to fair weather. Everyone was eager to get to the city, but traveling was still fairly relaxed because of the extra time they had. As often as they performed, the trip was sometime the most relaxing time they had. His friends were moving at an unhurried pace to get their breakfast before the horses would be hooked up to the wagons, the supplies were packed up, and they began to move again.

Danny smiled as he looked out over the little area, Ember working over a large fire in which a cauldron was placed upon, no doubt working on her latest potion. Or perhaps she was just boiling another batch of herbs for her throat after singing herself hoarse again. If it wasn't for her magic, the witch probably would have lost her voice years ago from how loud she could get when drunk. Freakshow was currently complaining loudly about the lack of meal for that should have been prepared for him at the crack of dawn that was his right, but everyone was pretty much tuning him out, except for Kitty and Mrs. Bost who were both serving the meal of soup and bread. The aging cooking lady looked ready to throttle the man, though considering her split personalities, she'd probably forgive him after a few moments of throwing him around like a doll.

The teen's eyes fell upon someone else and he immediately felt his lips tugging into a smile. Johnny saw the look and only shook his head before walking away, not interested in seeing the display that was sure to follow.

Danny moved off the steps of his wagon and walked past the others straight up to one of the larger wagons where a very big man was working. His back to Danny, only in pants and boots, the young man could see muscles glistening in sweat as the man wielded a large knife, hacking apart what looked to be a carcass of a doe.

"Hi Skulker," he said. "Getting ready to feed the animals?"

He was rewarded with the other turning to look at him, a scowl on his face. Or at least, it looked like a scowl. Danny comforted himself with the fact that Skulker always looked like he was scowling. It wasn't his fault though. The large fangs just poking past his lips would often make him look more surly than he was, not to mention his slightly green tinted skin and large, intimidating build, it hardly made the guy look very nice.

Though the man was only one-forth troll, he still looked close enough to his brutish brethren to make most people nervous, even if he would have been the smallest and palest troll they had ever seen, it was still far enough from 'human' that people who didn't know him well would be cautious around him.

"Danny," he said, his voice that was somehow smooth and rough at the same time, as clapped the boy on the back. "I see you woke up late, again."

"Well, it took me a while to get to sleep," he replied. "Johnny's snoring and all."

Skulker laughed and shook his head.

"Boy, you have a lip on you that would get you a broken neck anywhere else," he said with a grin, though Danny heard the compliment for what it was. If Skulker did not like him for being a wise guy, he would have said so a long time ago. He was not the type who seemed to believe in being anything more than brutally honest. "I take it you came to help me feed them?"

Danny grumbled but nodded his head, getting his hair ruffled. He blushed a bit when Skulker looked away. He had once been terrified of the large man, especially when he had first come to live with his uncle. He had seemed so menacing, but Skulker had quickly shown him that he had a kind heart and had been one of the ones working so hard to make him feel welcome. Danny had never really gotten over his gratitude, and ever since he had started to get older, he couldn't help but notice just how nice Skulker looked when he walked around half dressed or carried large loads most men would have broken their arms trying to lift. The young man had quickly discovered he liked strong men, and this man in particular was a prime example of the qualities he appreciated, and quite frankly, lusted after.

It was too bad that Skulker, despite being smarter than many of his fellow trolls, didn't seem to have an ounce of brains when it came to recognizing the fact he had a young man who would be all too happy to share a bed with him. He'd often tried to drop hints, but it got him little more than simple politeness. It was the problem with wanting the man who had seen you grow up he supposed. To the him, he was still, and probably always would be a child.

He took the roughly cut meat, moving off to the large cages that were a little ways off from the caravan. Skulker was a hunter and handler of exotic animals, something the crowds certainly loved. Thanks to the caravan, people were able to see creatures of legend that they could only dream of. It was especially profitably because the hunter seemed to have quite a talent for taming the dangerous creatures. Perhaps it was because of his odd lineage, or just a personal gift. Danny had never asked.

There were four different sized cages, but they were all made to comfortably fit the creature it held, along with plenty of things inside of the cage to make the creatures happy, soft straw for bedding and plenty of fresh meat like this for them to feed on. It was a source of pride for Skulker that not only had he been able to capture them, but he knew how to care for them so well.

The largest cage was actually made mostly of glass with breathing holes the size of fists all along them, with an iron framework and door. Inside was damp earth and grass with a large tree as well that a humongous snake wrapped around the trunk and thick branches. Many might have mistaken as a python, but it was actually closer to an anaconda, though it was larger than even most of those species. The creature was over thirty feet last measurement, and about as thick as Danny's own thigh. However, the thing was snoozing lazily at the moment, most of it's activities occurring during the night, though it always seemed to be happy when breakfast time came around. Opening the cage door, he tossed in a fat leg of the doe for the reptile's enjoyment, though no sooner had he closed the door and he had turned his back a loud snap was heard and he whirled around to see the snake laying on the ground, a very large lump now in it's middle.

"How the hell are you so fast when no one is watching you?" he asked incredulously as he locked the door again. He only received a wink from the creature in response.

Two similar sized cages were next, both only a few feet taller than Danny and cast with strong metal bars. Inside the twin cages were two of the most amazing creatures that he (and the customers) had ever seen. Inside the left one, a sphinx with sleek hair was licking her front paw and grooming her mane. It never made much sense how a female lioness had a mane, but everyone had been too polite to ask her about it. Her claws were awfully sharp after all. She eyed him interestedly as he walked into her cage, laying the meat out for her, though made no movement as he worked, just continuing with her morning grooming while he finished and moved to the cage on the right.

The chimera inside was probably more social than the sphinx, but when a creature had the heads of a lion, ram, and dragon, all of them dangerous in their own right, and a snake for a tail you didn't want it's attention, even if it was friendly. Danny was much more rushed while pulling in the meat for him, ready to phase out of the way if the thing decided he would make a good chew toy... again. Apparently he squeaked when he was grabbed, something Skulker had told him, and it seemed to please the chimera immensely. He had wanted to believe it was a joke, but he did know how easily he could startle sometimes.

The last cage was relatively small though, approximately the size of a kennel's cage in which a hydra was eagerly awaiting his meal.

He had to admit, he had never seen another hydra, but he had a feeling anything would be more impressive than this thing. It was about the size of a large dog, and honestly, it seemed to have the brains of one as well. All nine heads had a tongue hanging out of their mouths and it was literally panting as he came with the food. It was more domesticated than the horses, and honestly, the only reason Skulker kept it in the cage was because it would probably destroy the caravan trying to play a game of catch than out of any malicious intent. Danny didn't even know why the thing was so happy for the food. The hydra had developed an interesting habit to tear off one of it's own heads and devouring it even as another would grow back. It didn't seem to find it painfully, and it got plenty of nutrients that way. He could only assume the little pig liked all the food it could get. Also, the creature was already at it's maximum number of heads, so it hadn't grown any more of them in a long, long time. Good too, nine heads made enough trouble as it was.

Finished with his chore, he wiped his hands on his pants as he made his way back to Skulker's wagon, disappointed to see the other had already gone back inside. Sighing and blowing the hair out of his eyes irritably, he made his way over the food wagon, ready to just have a hot meal and be done with it.

Most of the fellow caravan members were already eating by now, so it was not a long wait before he was able to get his food from Mrs. Bost. She smiled invitingly at him as she started to scoop the hot soup into a bowl for him to eat as Danny noticed out the corner of his eye Johnny and Kitty giving each other their usual good morning greeting of grabbing and frantic kissing only half hidden behind one of the wagons.

"Hello dearie," the cook said with a smile as Danny took his bowl and bread. He could already smell the wonderful cooking as it made his stomach grumble. "Have a good night's rest?"

"Yes ma'am," he replied, returning the kindhearted smile. "And you?"

"Oh, as well as ever," she said with a gentle laugh. "I must admit, I'll be happy to get to the next stop. I've been meaning to get some more supplies for the food. Proper nutrition is important, especially for you little young ones."

"Mrs. Bost, I'm seventeen," he replied with a laugh but a glare immediately told him that he had said the wrong thing.

"YOU'LL EAT PROPERLY AND LIKE IT, YOUNG MAN!" she screamed at him, nearly causing him to jump back in surprise. He didn't dare though. Actions like that usually made people drop their food, and no one dared drop their food in front of Mrs. Bost.

"Yes ma'am," he immediately replied like an obedient dog barking for it's master.

"Good, good, not you go sit somewhere and eat," she said, patting him on the head and shooing him off. No one had even looked up from the vocal explosion. It had been too long that they had all heard it, and all of them had earned her scorn at least a few times themselves. No one dared even snicker that it had been Danny unfortunate enough to catch it this time, not interested in being the next target.

Moving back to the steps of his wagon, he sat down and started to enjoy his breakfast. The heat of the food was good with the weather starting to turn colder. He wondered briefly how many more weeks it would be before snow started to fall. He imagined it would take a little while, but not too terribly long. He remembered when he still looked forward to the snow, happy to skip around and play in it as much as he was allowed to. Now it just meant harder traveling and working conditions. He didn't care much for the hassle and the fun didn't seem to be in it anymore either.

Soaking bits of the bread into the soup one bite at a time, it absorbed some of the flavor and broth into it. He ate the food quickly before slurping down the rest of the bowl, enjoying the roughly cut vegetables and meat. It might not have looked pretty like some of the city food he would occasionally enjoy while not working, but the taste was still more superb than anything else he had ever tasted. All these years he still had no idea how the woman was so skilled that she could take such basic ingredients and make all of her meals so tasty. It seemed there was just no replacement for a home cooked meal.

Just as he was finishing drinking up the remaining broth, a shadow feel over him. At first he thought it was just Johnny sending Shadow over to mess with him but when he looked up, his spoon still in his mouth, he saw a tall man instead.

This man was probably the most intriguing and yet dangerous in the entire caravan. Light blue skin, gleaming fangs and red eyes that seemed to glow even in bright light, Vlad Masters was definitely not human, even if he might have been some time ago. Danny remembered hearing about his vampiric uncle long before he had even met him as the Ringmaster of the dark carnival, though even the stories from his own family did not do him justice. He had somehow discovered a way to walk in the daylight and seemed to have more talents in the occult than the whole caravan put together. Hypnotizing people with a mere glance to make them believe he looked human whenever it suited his purposes, strength and speed that seemed to be straight out of legends, not to mention all the other powers that seemed to come with being of his kind or even beyond, it didn't seem as if there wasn't anything he had not conquered.

He had once wondered why such a powerful person was not... well, a monster. Why did he settle for such a thing as running a caravan, even one filled with enchanted people? He could have easily found some castle and land to rule over without any effort at all, yet it seemed his kindheartedness drove the man. He could only assume it was mercy and pity for mankind that made Vlad into what he was, not his abilities or powers.

"Yes, Uncle Vlad?" Danny asked, immediately setting down his bowl and standing up. Kind as Vlad was, he always demanded respect, and one did not slouch or sit in his company while he was standing.

"It's time," Vlad replied simply. "We have more arrivals coming soon."

"Arrivals?" Danny asked. "But... isn't the city days away? Who could be visiting the caravan now?"

"Not customers," he replied, shaking his head. "New _**arrivals**_, Daniel. Additions to the carnival. We are to go collect them."

"We? I don't understand... How do you even know about this? Did someone arrange to meet you out in the middle of nowhere?" He was feeling too confused on this whole mess. Vlad never involved anyone with him when he considering adding to the carnival. It had always been understood to be his job and his alone. There was no reason for Danny to have ever been involved in something like a job interview.

"It's getting closer and closer to your year of being a man, Daniel," he informed him. "Someday, you may have to take this carnival over. It's time to begin the second phase of your training."

"I have phases?" he asked incredulously. "Since when?"

The swat he received over the back of his head was not unexpected, though he didn't feel it was justified. He didn't say anything against the vampire about the smack however. Vlad was merely irked with him at the moment. No reason to risk getting him angry over something so minimal. Danny knew when he was pushing the line over something important, even if his uncle had to remind him just where that line was at times.

It still didn't explain why Vlad suddenly wanted him to be trained for running the caravan though. He'd never mentioned something like that before, and it's not like he had to worry about growing too old to run the show. It all seemed pretty fishy to Danny.

Still, he knew better than to disobey orders, so when Vlad began walking off, he trotted a bit to catch up and walked along with him. They didn't go to the ringmaster's wagon however, instead heading out of the circle. He didn't say anything even though his mind was coming up with more and more questions by the second. Johnny caught his eye questionably but Danny merely shrugged, silently communicating he was just as confused as his friend was as they left. They walked along inside of the thick treeline and before long the caravan was no longer in sight.

Twigs snapped under their feet and the wildlife of birds and insects sounded all around them. Danny pushed bushes and overgrowth out of his way as Vlad walked, seeming to know exactly where they were going, even if his nephew didn't. It didn't exactly feel fair to be expected to tromp around in the wild without any reason why, but he had a feeling he would find out faster if he just kept his mouth shut. Perhaps someone lived out here, had a cottage or something and had been in contact with Vlad about where to go.

"Stop," Vlad said suddenly, thrust his arm out and catching the young man by the chest. Danny gave a small grunt, feeling as if a he had just run into a steel bar. The vampire raised a hand and shushed him softly before slowly lowering his arm. "Do not move."

Wonderingly wildly what was going on, he stood still as his uncle sniffed the air a few times and looked to his right. Danny glanced as best as he could without turning his head. He didn't see anything except a withered looking willow tree. The canopy of the vines and leaves hanging from it made a thin veil, but he could still see through it well enough to tell the bark of the tree was knotted and twisted in several places. He wondered how old it was, probably a few hundred, maybe more.

His eyes caught a sudden twitch behind the vines and he locked onto it immediately, seeing something that had not caught his attention before. It was hard to tell what it was, the general shape of it too well hidden. It was too large to be an animal though, at least, any that he knew lived in these woods. Was... was there a person in there? But what were they doing?

"Hey," he called suddenly before his uncle could stop him. He reached out to push the vines away before he cried out in shock. The vines had quickly began to writhe, twisting around his hand and wrist before the second he had touched the foliage. "Let me go! What do you think you- Whoa!"

Vlad looked up at his nephew in a disappointed manner, now hanging upside down, vines and leaves wrapped around his legs, arms and torso.

"I told you to stay still," he said calmly, shaking his head as he tsked. "I give you this advice for a reason you know."

Danny would have shot back a comment if his mouth had not been covered by the vines like a gag. He felt himself twisted around to see a young woman with black hair, no doubt the shape he had seen from before. She didn't look very happy either. Face twisted in a scowl, she had her hand raised toward him. It didn't take him long to realize she was controlling the tree, though he couldn't contemplate how. It took him a second to realize her body was trembling, and the expression on her face was not anger, but scared, even if she was trying to be fierce. She was sitting on her knees, a blond man laying out in front of her and his head on her lap. He was clearly unconscious, his clothing torn with cuts all over him and a large gash on his head that was cradled in her lap.

"My lady," Vlad said softly as he approached the canopy of the leaves, an opening now available with the vines holding Danny suspended. "I'm sorry about my nephew's rude behavior. He's never met a nymph before. He doesn't know sometimes trees are best left alone."

The woman snarled at him, but Vlad didn't even act like he noticed. He did stop walking once he was inside the covering of the tree however.

"Why are you here?" she asked harshly, pulling the blond man closer as best she could. It didn't look easy. He looked to be twice her size.

"I want to offer you help," he replied. "Your friend is wounded. I can save him."

"You don't know anything," she barked out. "Leave us alone!"

"I know bandits are becoming more and more common in these woods," Vlad replied. "And I know that men like that have a taste for things they are not allowed to take without permission. I smelt his blood earlier this morning when he fought them off. He tried to protect you, and now you are trying to protect him. However, he saved you. Perhaps you should return the favor."

"How do I know you aren't a bandit?" she demanded. "You walk around pretty carelessly with outlaws around. These woods were safe a year ago now there are those idiot brutes everywhere!"

"I am Vladimir Masters," he replied, giving her a light bow. "The reason we were not attacked should be fairly obvious. What fool would try and rob the Circus Gothika, even if they could find it. I have means to keep my people protected, and I can protect you two, if you like."

She grit her teeth, not seeming to want to trust him.

"Well... I've never heard of a vampire bandit," she admitted. "And I have heard of your circus, and of you..."

She bit her lip before sighing and lowering her hand. Gently, Danny was let down, something he was grateful for. The blood had already started to rush to his head. As it was, he was feeling a little dizzy on his feet.

"Daniel, take the young man," Vlad instructed. "We're going back to the camp now."

The woman seemed a little hesitant to let go of him, but eventually conceded. Danny slung the man's arm over his shoulder and slipped his own around his back before standing up. He drew in a breathe and steadied himself. He was built pretty solid and just dead weight, he wasn't exactly easy to lift. His load was lessened however by the female taking his other arm to help drag him back to camp. She didn't look as if she were to be able to do it herself, but with the two of them, it would be much more bearable.

"Thanks," he said as they began to walk back the way they had come from.

"Forget it. I should be thanking you," she replied. "I didn't know what I was going to do. There were so many of them, I was sure they'd come back."

"It's okay," he said. "People can get pretty panicked when they're in danger. I don't understand though. I know there are bandits in these woods, but I thought they stuck to the northern paths. Hardly anyone comes this way. The roads are all so old and badly kept, and so few travelers come by with anything to take, it shouldn't be worth their effort."

"That's why we came this way. We thought it would be safer," she responded. "We were obviously wrong though."

She spat bitterly on the ground, stomping angrily in her buckled boots as they walked.

"You know..." he said slowly, trying to think of the best way to say this without offending her. "I never figured that nymphs were so... rough around the edges."

"Well then, that would probably be because I'm not a nymph," she bit out before sighing. "Not a full one anyway. I'm mostly human. One of my ancestors found a Dyrad and... well, you know how that stuff goes. Apparently they stayed together for a while, long enough to have offspring anyway. I don't know how far back that was, but it does seem to have a few advantages."

"I didn't know nymphs could have children," Danny said in wonder. Granted, he didn't know much about their race to begin with. The race was more south of their lands. He'd never seen one, much less hear much about them.

"Oh no, they can't. I'm a figment of your imagination," she said dryly. "The name's Samantha, but I prefer being called Sam. I heard your uncle call you Daniel. That what you go by?"

"It's Danny," he replied. "Call me Danny. So... who's this anyway?"

"His family name is Baxter," she answered. "I named him Dash, I suppose he won't mind you calling him that too. My father and mother discovered him when I was a child, about around my age with a large bump on his head and a pendant around his neck that had his name on it. We don't have any idea where he came from, but he's been with me since then. I ran away with him a few years ago."

"Oh, so you two eloped?" he asked.

She made a face and immediately shook her head.

"I would rather marry a clod of dirt, better brains and easier to relate to," she snorted. "My father wanted me to marry him, but neither of us liked the idea. So we left. Right now we're on the way to the capital, far from my parent's home and influence. Anything to be able to live my own life. It's not that I don't like Dash, but he's closer to a brother to me than a lover and I have no interest in any man my father would pick out for me."

"I can understand," Danny replied, even though he had no idea what a situation like that was. He could never see himself forced into marriage, and he certainly wouldn't be tempted to run away if the idea was brought to him, though he would certainly turn it down. He could never see him having to leave to avoid a thing like that. He could only imagine her family was not the type to be willing to listen like his was. It did, however, seem the polite thing to say that he could empathize with her. It seemed to work too, because she gave him a soft smile, the first time she had stopped frowning since he had come across her.

It took them a little while longer to reach camp than it had to get to the willow, but not by much. Many people took attention when they returned, noticing immediately the two new faces and the fact that one of them was hurt. They all rushed to the small group quickly, asking what had happened and if there was anything they could do to help.

"Everything is fine," Vlad said a bit loudly over the crowd to be sure that he was heard. "Danielle, take the young man into the spare wagon and dress his wounds. Have Mrs. Bost and Kitty help you if you need the assistance. We'll be moving soon so everyone else get the things collected as soon as possible."

A young teenaged girl, only a year younger then Danny stepped forward, white haired despite her young age and moved over to take the man. Kitty moved forward to help her and relieved both Danny and Sam of their burden as everyone else moved to get to work, though not with a few curious gazes shot towards Vlad. The vampire paid it no mind, turning to Sam and catching his nephew by the arm as he attempted to walk off to help.

"Not yet," he said simply. "I still need your assistance, Daniel. Miss Samantha, we need to discuss a few more matters before anything else. There is the subject of payment."

"P-payment?" she sputtered. "How dare you? If I had known you were after gold I would have just-"

"Let your friend die?" he asked simply, though he cut her off as effectively as if he had just slapped her. He frowned slightly and shook his head. "I have no need for you goods, not that you have any after the bandits attacked you, I am sure. I offer to heal him for free, but you are on the way to the capital. We can give you safe passage the whole way there if you like."

"For what?" she asked, a little guarded. Danny didn't blame her. Vlad was acting odd, as if he was trying to coax her into misunderstandings. He didn't often act so short with people he didn't know. He was more open and kind than this.

"We don't need anything major," he interjected. "We've given passage to travelers before. All it is is a simple, 'You work, you eat,' policy'. We won't ask much from you, I promise."

"That does sound fair," she admitted. "We don't have anything left now but the clothes on our backs. If some chores get us both there safe than I don't mind."

"Good," Vlad replied. "You're more than welcome here. Daniel, I want you to get her some food and let her rest. From now on, she's your charge. Explain the work here and make sure she is comfortable. I won't expect anything from her until nightfall when we have to make camp again."

He walked off and Danny arched an eyebrow. His uncle certainly was acting odd today. Shaking it off, he looked to Sam, who was looking around herself quickly, as if trying to twist her neck in every direction at once. He found himself chuckling. It was a common action for someone who was seeing the caravan for the first time. He himself had had the same reaction when he had arrived as well.

"I can't believe the bandits haven't seen or attacked you people yet," she noted as she gave him a look. "There's so much here."

He chuckled softly.

"We have our own means," he replied with a shrug. "Vlad has all sorts of means to keep us unseen and not bothered by anyone he doesn't feel like dealing with. And if they did know we where here, do you think any outlaw would be brave enough to attack the Circus Gothika. Trust me, traveling is the least of the concerns."

"I can still understand why you would want to use less traveled roads though," she said, especially when she spotted the caged animals. "And I can really understand why so many people pay to get to be able to see all of you. How many are even in your circus?"

"Let's see, including myself?" he said before taking a second to count everyone in his head. "Eighteen. No, wait. Nineteen. I keep forgetting that Johnny keeps insisting that Shadow gets counted too. God knows he caused enough problems for an extra person, that's for sure."

"Shadow?" she asked, looking a little confused.

"Yeah," Danny said as he led her up to the food cart, grabbing the discarded bowl from the steps of his own wagon on the way. Mrs. Bost was cleaning up the mess, but Danny was glad to see there was a small stew pot that contained the leftovers still waiting to be closed and wrapped up in the cloth underneath of it. "Tell you what, I'll tell you about everyone here, and you can meet them all. We don't have much else to do on the way, so socializing will be fun for all of us. Nothing much else to do on the road except talk. This is Mrs. Bost, our cook and bottle washer basically. She makes great food and has been with the caravan as long as I can remember. Mrs. Bost, this is Sam."

He nodded to the woman, who smiled back up at him and the new face warmly.

"Well hello there, dearie," she said kindly. "I saw you approaching with your friend. Are you okay?"

"Yes, thank you," she replied, smiling as well. "I wasn't hurt actually. It was my friend, Dash, that was."

"Well, I trust Kitty and Danielle will be able to take care of him good and proper," she assured her, already grabbing Danny's bowl and splashing it with a bit of water before wiping it dry with her apron and ladling some soup for the nymph. However, when she held it out for her, Sam made a little bit of a face.

"I'm sorry, I don't eat meat," she informed the older woman, not taking the bowl.

Danny's eyes widened as he saw Mrs. Bost frown. He quickly took the bowl and the last slice of the bread before the woman exploded, not wanting to be in the middle of any sort of incident.

"Don't worry," he said quickly to the cook. "I'll make sure she eats it all up. Thanks, Mrs. Bost."

"You had better," she sniffed angrily and began to wrap up what was left of the breakfast. "She's much too skinny, even sickly looking. She certainly needs more meat. I swear, children these days."

Sam opened her mouth to argue, but Danny quickly shoved the bread in her mouth. She glared at him but he only shook his head as he put an arm around her shoulder and turned her around, leading her back to his wagon.

"You don't have to eat it if you don't want," he told her. "But don't ever tell Mrs. Bost you won't eat something she cooks for you. She's... sensitive about it, I guess is the best way to put it."

Sam snorted and began to munch on her bread.

"I don't eat slaughtered animals," she stated. Danny gave her a look. She was the little radical, wasn't she? Who didn't eat animals? That's what they were they for, at least some of them.

"Well, I won't force you," he told her. "But be prepared to go find your own food if this isn't good enough for you."

"You can have it for all I care," she said as they reached his wagon.

He shrugged before starting to eat it, after making sure Mrs. Bost wasn't looking of course. He would not say no to a second helping. It was a shame too, it really was good.

"Well, as long as Mrs. Bost thinks you're eating, I guess it all works just fine," she replied. "Just so you know though, she doesn't like people saying no to her. And trust me, with her, it doesn't happen often. She's easily one of the ones who works the hardest here, though honestly, she and her family are probably really the only normal ones here."

"Normal?" Sam asked. "What do you mean?"

"A lot of people who work here are enchanted, cursed, or have something else going on with them. Just about everyone here has a story. Mrs. Bost and her husband though, as far as I know are just working here. They've been with the caravan before it was even owned by my uncle. See him? That's Mr. Bost, her husband. He's the manager of the caravan, but really mostly he just makes sure everything is packed up properly and the menial laborers are doing our jobs right."

He pointed out a short man, less than five feet tall who was jumping up and down and shouting at Johnny as the young man was putting a crate up on the back of one of the wagons. Danny chuckled as Johnny grumbled, glad he was not over there himself.

"He's a bit... over enthusiastic about something as simple as packing boxes and trunks, but he's alright. We've never had anything go missing between trips, that's for sure. He triple-checks everything before we're allowed to go anywhere. They have a daughter too, Gretchen Bost, but she's just a little kid. Is gonna turn seven in a couple weeks actually. Her mom probably had her wait in the wagon. She's too small to be able to do much anyway really, but she's a cute kid."

"So, you're uncle didn't create Circus Gothika?" Sam asked.

"No," he answered with a shake of his head. "Actually, you see that guy over there in the black and red wagon, long nose and pale complexion with the green woman floating next to him?"

She nodded.

"That's actually the original owner, Frederick Isak Showenhower, but everyone just calls him Freakshow. Mostly because it ticks him off so bad." He snickered. "I don't blame you for making the mistake though; a lot of people do. Most people didn't hear of the circus until my uncle got in possession of it. Before it was just a gambling ring, and Freakshow is actually a bit of a cheat. That girl is Lydia, a ghost. He used to use her to make the games come out in his favor, floating around invisible and whisper the cards other people had in his ear, shake the roulette table to make sure the ball wouldn't land in a winning spot, things like that. He was always more interested in profit than entertainment, so there weren't many shows. Uncle Vlad made a bet that if he won in a game against Freakshow, the caravan would be his and he won the game. Freakshow hasn't stopped complaining about it since, especially since my uncle forces him to run the gambling wagon fairly. Drives the guy nuts, but he stays on anyway. Guess he just doesn't want to leave something he thinks is still his. If he tries to give you any orders though, ignore him. Everyone else does.

"Another person you might want to be wary of is Tucker Foley. He's a bit of a skirt chaser. If you're interested in being pursued, great, but he has a tendency to use the same lines on any girl he can get to stand still long enough. Just so you know when he's bound to notice you," Danny said, indicating a nearby wagon were a dark skinned young man was currently trying to shove many large and disjointed pieces of metal in the wagon. Nearby a man with white hair in an odd hair cut and in a long black coat was arguing with a scantily clad woman with long black hair and faint green skin. Despite the cold weather and rocks she was barefoot, and didn't seem to be shivering at all.

"I could do it, you know!" she was yelling at the man. "You're going to have to use your wishes eventually, you mullet haired freak!"

"Bah! What do you know about anything, woman? As if I would be stupid enough to let you mess with my machinery!" he yelled back in a overly nasally voice.

"Hmph. You would know all about being stupid, wouldn't you?" she asked crossing her arms and frowning as he bristled in rage.

"Don't you dare anger me, Nicolai Technus, Master of Machinery and world renown inventor!" he demanded. "You will show me respect!"

"World renown? You still can't explain what a machine is to most people, you idiot! And what are you going to do if I get you angry? Make one of your toys blow up in my face instead of yours for a change?"

Sam watched the exchange with an arched eyebrow and Danny only shook his head.

"Don't worry about those two. Technus and Desiree argue like that all the time," he said with a shrug.

"Is... is she a genie?" she asked incredulously. "I've heard tales... but I'd never seen one before."

"Yeah," he replied with a nod. "Apparently she was a free one too, at least before she did something that ticked someone off. She was cursed to a bottle. She claims she'll be free when the person who found her bottle has her grant three wishes. Technus is the one who found her, while he was visiting a country to the east in order to research a powder that can apparently make fire or something like that. She's been trying to get him to use his wishes for years."

"You mean he hasn't?" she asked incredulously. "Why not?"

"He doesn't belief in magic," he said simply.

"He doesn't believe in using it?"

"No, you don't understand," Danny replied as he began to explain. "He doesn't believe in magic, refuses to acknowledge it's real."

"But... magic is obviously real. It's everywhere. Heck, it should be obvious just from working here," she argued, as if Danny was the one denying the existence of such an obvious element of the world.

"He's insane," he said with a shrug. "Really, he's bonkers. He plays with steal and powders and some odd black sticky liquid all the time. Most of the time he makes things explode or catch fire. He says it's something called inventing, and Tucker is his apprentice. They say machines are the way of the future."

"Machines?"

"The metal things he makes," he replied. "Though I should tell you that they're not always a failure. In fact, he manages to get some great stuff made and shows them off to the customers. He managed to make some sort of steel armored thing about the size of a small horse that moves without needing an animal pulling it. Moves fast too, faster than just about anything I've ever seen. He had no real use for it though, so he gave it to one of my roommates, Johnny who uses it to run errands away from the caravan when we need something done quickly. He loves the thing to death too, though I think it'll cause him to break his neck one day. You'll meet him once we get moving though. He's married to the girl who took Dash, Kitty. Maybe you two can talk during one of the stops and become friends."

"Those metal things do sound interesting," Sam admitted. "Do you think Technus would show me if I asked him about it."

"Oh trust me, he's be delighted," he replied with a nod. "He loves those crazy things and talks about them all the time. It's hard to get him to stop, honestly. No one can explain how he does it though. He's tried to tell us how the stuff works, but too be honest, I don't understand half of it myself. In fact, I think it's another kind of magic, even if he won't admit it. It works even if it doesn't seem to make sense. I can only guess he's a genius because he's so out of it, or maybe it's just a side effect. We really have no idea which is the cause and which is the effect. Unfortunately, it's bad luck for Desiree that she got stuck with him, the one man in the world that wouldn't ask her for a single wish. She gets more and more irritated about his ignoring her every year. I don't think she was used to not getting her way before this all happened."

"So why are they with the caravan?" Sam inquired, glancing at them again. It seemed the fighting had stopped and Desiree had seated herself on a wheel and pouted as the men worked.

"Well, everyone here drags in crowds," he said with a shrug. "The people like looking at his inventions, and Desiree is a draw just by herself. We have a witch, Ember, that likes to sing. Looks like she's already inside though, so you'll have to see her later. Anyway, she's pretty good at it, as well as the other stuff she does, fortune telling, potions, spells. Well, while she sings Desiree usually make up whatever she's singing about show up, mountains, dragons, other races from old times. Just one of the small tricks she can pull off easily with her powers and she usually dances too, along with Kitty, who doubles as an assistant to Mrs. Bost. As you can see, a lot of the people here have more than one job."

"What about you?" she asked. "What do you do?"

"Nothing special," he answered. "I'm mostly just spare labor. I do the odd jobs, but I'm really only here because of my uncle. He brought me here when I was young, same with my cousin, Danielle, Uncle Vlad's daughter. She was the girl with the white hair. We don't do anything spectacular, like perform or juggle or sing."

"You don't have any talents that would be useful to entertain?"

"I didn't say that," he told her. "In fact, I-"

"Hey, why do you get to chat while the rest of us work?" Johnny asked, nearly causing Danny to jump. He had not noticed the man approach, along with another who somehow looked both old and young at the same time, his drab gray hair hanging limply around his fair face but his eyes droopy as he frowned.

"Oh sorry," Danny said. "I was told to keep on eye on Samantha here. Sam, these are my two roommates, Johnny who I told you about, and this is Aragon. He's one of the entertainers here."

The other man simply grunted at Sam and moved past them to get in the wagon. It was not until now that Danny noticed that everyone was packed and that all of the wagons had been linked in their groups of threes, now tethered to the horses. He hadn't thought they had been talking that long honestly.

"Don't mind Aragon," Johnny said. "He's almost always in a grumpy mood. Kind of lame for a clown really."

"I am not a clown! I'm... Oh forget it!" a voice called from the wagon before the sound of a small flumph sounded. Looks like Aragon was just planning on sleeping the whole way in his head above Danny's, or sulk more likely.

"He doesn't like being here," Johnny whispered to Sam in explanation. "He and his sisters are refugees from the country of Drache."

"The land of the dragons?" she breathed in disbelief. "You mean, the one that was conquered by the warlord Phantom?"

"Yeah," Johnny confirmed. "They stumbled upon the caravan and Vlad let them stay with us. Dora, his younger sister, actually was the one who asked if they could work here, seeing as they didn't have much elsewhere to go. They both do an acrobatic show together. It's pretty good too, though I think the tricks they perform are pretty easy for dragons, human disguise or not. She seems pretty happy here, but Aragon always made it obvious his pride is pretty hurt that his country was overthrown by humans of all things. He doesn't like much of anything or anyone, just so you know."

"Anyway, despite that, you might as well ride with us," he told Sam. "If your tired you can take my bed. I can sit with Johnny. On they way I'll tell you about the others in the caravan."

"Thanks," she said as she climbed in.

Johnny arched an eyebrow at him as she climbed in.

"So, what's her story?" he asked, obviously expecting the goods.

"She claims she's part nymph," Danny said with a shrug. "Aside from that, you'd have to ask her yourself."

"Nymph, huh?" Johnny murmured. "Wonder if they're as sexually kinky as the stories say."

"Better not let Kitty catch you asking," Danny replied before they both got in, laughing.

From the head of the trail of wagons, Vlad was watching his nephew and the others as they closed their door and sighed softly.

"Seems as if I have another one," he noted. "I wonder if she'll need more saving than just getting her to the capital safely."

"Knowing how you love to push that sort of issue, you'll probably make sure she does," a voice said from behind him.

The vampire turned around to look at the one who was speaking to him. A man with shaggy black hair who looked to just be just leaving his early thirties was sitting up on a king's sized bed, propped up on the many silk pillows as he scratched away at a book's pages with a worn looking quill. He did not once look up at Vlad, but did push his glasses back up his nose as they slid down a little. Even as he wrote, he wore a crooked little grin that made the immortal forgive the lack of attention even as he was being spoken to.

Jacob Doyle was the only man on the planet who could get away with such disrespect, and only because Vlad felt too compelled to be attracted to the cheekiness than find it insulting. He had to admit, he was not the type to often find other men appealing, but the writer in his bed had a witty charm about him that he could not help but appreciate, even if it was directed at him so often.

"I really could do with another one," he breathed softly. "I have to be honest, I'm getting worried about the time frame. There just aren't enough years, and they seem to be passing father and faster with each one. I have been able to take care of the occasionally person here or there but-"

"Vlad," the writer said softly as he lay his book down on the bed and gave him a stern look. His green eyes were intense, and Vlad let himself listen to the scolding he was sure he was about to receive. "You are going to be okay. I'm not going to accept anything else from you. You need to trust in yourself more."

"I haven't given myself reasons to prove trustful lately," he sighed. "It's been one mistake after another, for the last damn twenty-five years. Nothing has worked out right."

Jacob got off the bed and approached him, frowning.

"Oh really?" he asked. "Does that include Danny and Danielle? Does that include me?"

"You know that's not what I meant," he said softly before placing his hands on the man's hips. "You're one of the things that keeps me going. I would have given up by now without you in my life. I've lived too long, I'm too battered."

"Vladimir," the writer breathed before cupping his cheeks and kissing him softly. He felt the wagon start to sway as Jude Bost cracked the whip at the horses and they took off. He arched an eyebrow as he grinned. "I think you need to distress."

"Oh?" he purred, pushing his lover back gently into the bed before climbing over him. "I think I do too."

In no time they were kissing and running their hands over each other's bodies, rumpling clothes and not giving a damn. Jacob hissed as sharp teeth nipped at his bottom lip, already writhing under the slightly bigger man. The rocking was making them rub against one another, and the actions were already getting him highly aroused. He didn't think this was going to be one of their longer bouts of love making. He would never last through the sweet torture the vampire seemed to enjoy so immensity.

"No teasing this time," he moaned out, already reaching for the vampire's trousers. "Don't hold back on me. Just do it, please."

The undead only smirked however.

"Make me be quick then," he challenged before leaning in to drag his tongue down the writer's slender neck. He could only whimper in response, resigning himself to his fate. Well, at least he'd made the attempt and asked.

Clothes were peeled back slowly, revealing sweaty skin. The book had somehow ended up on the floor as they moved around on the bed, unwilling to let the other go from an embrace or passionate kiss for too long.

"Vlad, oh Vlad," Jacob gasped as his pants were peeled away and tossed to the side, leaving him naked in the wagon that was already heating up by quite a bit. The vampire only grinned down at him. Though skinny, he had a very gorgeous body, and he was quite interested in ravaging it as soon as possible.

"You're delicious," he whispered, laying a single hand on the writer's member and running his fingers over the delicate flesh. Jacob flushed from the intimate touch and speech, clearly enjoying himself.

Leaning in as the other man lay out on all the pillows, Vlad licked at his chin, throat and jaw. He nipped playfully at the wet skin, leaving little pink love marks all over as his lover whined in his bliss. It was intoxicating really, to watch him lose control over such simple actions. He knew it wasn't just what he was doing however. It was the fact that _**he**_ was the one doing it to him. That alone stroked his ego immensely, to know he was the only one who could make the writer, who was usually in such good control of himself, act like a weak little kitten, mewling helplessly for love and attention.

And Vlad loved him. He really did. Perhaps the writer was not what Vlad had wanted at the beginning of his life, and he had certainly not been expected. But he was loved. He cherished the man deeply, wanted to be by his side for as long as he could.

The only thought that worried him about the relationship was that the time they did have together was not long enough. He had a feeling all eternity would not be enough time to satisfy him, even if they had had that, which unfortunately, they didn't.

Pushing the depressing thoughts from his mind, he kissed the writer again, plunging his tongue into the wet and warm cavern of Jacob's mouth. While the other was distracted by the pleasure, Vlad quickly reached for a bottle of lotion he kept on the bedside table for such occasions, uncapping it easily with one hand and smeared his fingers with the substance. Tossing it back, not caring in the slightest if it happened to spill and cause a mess, he spread the legs of the man and trailed a single finger over his entrance.

"V-Vlad!" he gasped at the cool, thick liquid against his heated skin.

"Relax," he breathed, pushing in a couple fingers. As often as the did this, he no longer had to start small with just one, and as expected, his lover opened up like a blooming flower at his touch. He moaned in bliss as he was stretched, and whined in annoyance and lust as Vlad tickled his prostrate by just barely touching it instead of fully prodding it like Jacob obviously wanted.

"Vlad, dammit you lousy vampire!" he cried out in frustration. "Just do it already!"

"So pushy for a mortal," he chuckled darkly, but did as he was asked. Withdrawing his hand, he smeared the lotion from his fingers onto his own member and bore over him, kissing all along his face and lips as he pushed in slowly. The soft gasp breathed out let him know it was certainly appreciated. It was a reward enough to know he had pleased him.

They moved together, hot gasps and grunts filling the small wagon as they moved over rough roads. It seemed to have an effect on Jacob, his moans only getting louder every time they hit a bump and he was pushed into deeper. Vlad was certainly enjoying the ride himself, every creak and shake pushing them both closer to their brink.

"I love you," Jacob breathed as he wrapped his arms around the other's neck. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," he breathed, kissing him sweetly on the cheek, thumbs rubbing over the writer's nipples nimbly. He received a moan in reply and nuzzled him gently. "Are you ready?"

A nod was all the answer he needed before he grazed his teeth over the other's neck, sinking his fangs gently into the soft skin. Once ruptured, Vlad drunk slowly, enjoying the thick and warm liquid seeping into his mouth gently. A soft sigh sounded, but he was too high off the pleasure of feeding to know if his lover had made the sound or he had. Before long he licked away at the small wound, dragging his tongue over it again and again until it stopped bleeding. He released into his lover, the feeling of the warmth around him and the life substance now flowing inside of him too much to let him hold back. Stickiness between them clued him in that Jacob had done the same and he relaxed gratefully next to him.

"Thank you," he said softly. "I needed that."

"I know," the writer replied. "That why I did it. Vampire or not, you still have a heart. You needed the comforting."

"Well, it certainly did the job," he complimented, pulling the other into a hug and kissing the top of his forehead softly with his still bloody lips, leaving the trace on the man's face. The vampire could not help but laugh a little at the sight, even though he did not know why.

Suddenly, he felt much better, and he was not such a fool to think it had only been because of the sex.

End of Chapter One

Well, there went my R rating right out the window. Smut in the first chapter of a multi-chap? Wot? Seriously, I've never done that, but I said this story was going to be rather adult. Come on, kiddies, what do you think the adults did before television? How the population grew so fast, despite high mortality rate and crappy medical procedures. Heh.

Despite it only being a chapter for introducing all the characters (in the caravan at least) it was rather long. I attribute this to there being so many of them, and some of them were just barely scratched over. Still, I'm glad I got them all introduced to you readers one way or another. As I'm sure everyone noticed, some of the characters had names not from the show. Box Ghost, Lunch Lady, and Boxed Lunch for example. As they are human, it seemed sill not to give them names. After all, what kind of name is Box Ghost? While I could have explained them away as nicknames, I thought they would still need real names that would eventually pop up and at that point, why not just let them use the more normal names? So we have Jude Bost, Gertrude Bost, and Gretchen Bost respectfully. I figured the characters were obvious enough that even if the names changed, people would be able to recognize them. As for Jacob Doyle, obviously the Ghost Writer, it was established long ago with a friend of mine, Flyinghorror, that he must have a real name. After all, his brother does. We decided on Jacob a long time ago to pay tribute to Jacob Marley, the ghost who visits Scrooge in the Christmas Carol. Since Ghost Writer was the character for the Christmas episode in Danny Phantom, it seemed fitting. As for his last name being Doyle, I must admit to have a love for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the writer of the many Sherlock Holmes stories, so that's where that came from.

One more note, simply because I want to make sure no one thought I was silly enough to make this mistake. I spelled Circus Gothika wrong on purpose. Goth, before being a lifestyle (fad now really, which is sad) about black clothing and generally having a more pessimistic look on like, was an Eastern German tribe from centuries ago. Deutsch (German) is a very strong and harsh language in which the 'k' sound is usually particular strong (though it depends on the speaker of course). For that reason, it seemed proper to spell the word with a 'K' rather and a 'C' to put more emphasis on the pronunciation. The tile is also Deutsch, roughly translating to Lost Travel and the land that Dora and Aragon are from, Drache literally means Dragon. While this story takes place in a fantasy world and has no correlation with Earth, often in fantasy genres Europe is what is drawn upon for inspiration, often England, Scottland, France, Germany and many others. I chose to have this slight influence of my motherland out of a bit of fun and hoping it would add some flavor to the story.

That all being said, I hope you have enjoyed this chapter and that you might look forward to others. Reviews are, as always, welcomed and appreciated.


	2. Death and Fate

I'd apologize for the long update delay, but I doubt anyone wants to actually hear it. So I'll just say thanks for the reviews and that I hope you enjoy this chapter.

I didn't own Danny Phantom before and I'm sure I probably still don't own him now. Please don't sue me, I have nothing anyway.

Chapter Two: Death and Fate

Dash groaned softly as he felt himself rocking side to side slightly, the soft sound of creaking floating up to his ears. The strange smell of spices and musk mixed together wafted over his nose, making him wrinkle it and want to sneeze. Odd how the scent could feel welcoming and a little foul at the same time. His eyes opened, but his sight was not nearly as well off as his other senses were. Wherever he was, his surroundings were incredibly fuzzy. He blinked rapidly a few times, trying to clear whatever was wrong with them away in order to figure out what was going on.

The last thing he remembered were those bandits... and trying to protect Sam...

"I see you're finally awake," a timber voice said, definitely female. He looked up as his vision finally began to clear to see a pale woman with long white hair looking over him. She looked sickly with pale skin and shadowed eyes, yet there was an aura about her, a glow that seemed unearthly somehow. His eyes widened when he saw a large scythe on a wooden wall, held in place by both steel hooks and leather straps.

"Are... are you Death?" he whispered hoarsely.

"No," she replied with a smirk. "But I imagine he'll be on the payroll soon. That or I'll be on his. Whichever comes first."

"Huh?" he replied oh so intelligently, feeling completely lost.

She sighed and moved closer to his bedside, the candle that she had been standing in front of no longer blocked so the light could shine better in the small area, also completely making her lose her 'unearthly' glow. She stared down at him, her hands on her hips.

"Looks like you've been dreaming, pretty boy," she said frankly. "But dream time's over. Now the hurt begins. I'm gonna need to change your bandages and if you squirm you'll be wishing I was just Death."

Dash, however, frowned at the threat, no matter how veiled it might have been. He had been getting attacked, and now he was alone with this woman. He didn't see Sam anywhere, which meant they were no doubt separated. For all he knew this woman was with the bandits!

"You tell me where my friend is now!" he yelled as he sat up, grabbing the girl by both her wrists and twisting them around so that he was on top of her, pinning her to the bed. He moved fast for an injured man, and his body was certainly screaming in protest of it, but he'd long ago learned how to deal with pain. "What did you do with Sam? If you hurt her, I swear I'll-"

The white haired lass had looked surprised when she'd been grabbed, but didn't look to be very impressed now that he had her pinned. Rolling her eyes, she simply sat up, right through him! His fists that had been clutching her thin wrists were as empty as if he'd been trying to hold mere air, and he felt as if a bucket of icy cold water had been thrown on him.

"Before you go screaming like some little girl," she said and roughly pushed him face-first into the bed with strength he would not have attributed to her size, "I'm not here to hurt you. Your friend is perfectly fine in another wagon. She came to us with you to get you healed, which is what I'm trying to do. Just relax, okay?"

She tried to get to his bandages, but he rolled over before she could even reach them and pushed himself to headboard of the bed, not looking at all interested in being touched by her any time soon.

"Just what in the underworld's name are you," he breathed. His face was betraying every emotion he had right now. He was obviously scared, and his attempts to hide it weren't going that well.

The woman sighed and shook her head. "For the love of..." she muttered, brushing a hand through her hair. "Look, my name is Danielle. I work for the traveling caravan, Circus Gothika. I'm not going to hurt you, I really just need to change your bandages. You were just stitched up a few hours ago. If you keep moving you're just going to rip them open. You're still bleeding a bit anyway. Let me help you, and at the very next stop I'll go get that girl for you, I promise."

Wearily he looked her over. She looked sincere, but he still felt uneasy. Just how had she been able to escape him so easily as if she were no more solid than the smoke coming off of the candles? He was starting to think his earlier guess of who she was wasn't actually that far off.

"What are you?" he asked.

"I'm impatient," she replied before sitting on the bed and taking a pair of shears to the white wrapping on his chest. "Now sit still. If you get hurt, it'll be my hide."

His mind was still buzzing with questions, but the pain was starting to get to him. The throb he'd felt when he woke up was starting to turn into a sharp stabbing sensation, no doubt from his moving around. He forced himself to relax as she cut away at his wrappings. Cuts, both shallow and deep decorated his chest, some of them held shut by thick black thread, but thankfully only some. The foul smell was much more obvious now and he saw sticky substance, probably salve of some kind covering most of the wounds.

"Thank you," the woman, Danielle he reminded himself, said as she pulled the last of the red stained clothe away. She grabbed a small bowl of water and a rag from nearby and started to wipe away the gooey mess. She was gentle as she worked, taking her time not to aggravate his injuries, something he certainly appreciated. As she worked he couldn't help but notice when her hands would sometimes brush against him that her skin wasn't cold like when she had passed through him.

"You're warm," he murmured, taking her hand in his without even thinking about it. He ran a thumb over the back of the flesh, amazed it wasn't freezing like he had figured it would be.

"What?" she asked. "What are you talking about? What did you expect me to be?"

"Well," he said softly, "I... guess I thought it would be cold. When you sat up right through me it I felt like my whole body was freezing. I-"

A sudden yawn cut him off and he looked wildly around to see a young woman with brown, curled hair sitting in the corner of the wagon, stretching her arms up above her and blearily opening her eyes.

"Wha... Where did she come from?" he asked panicked.

"Kitty was there the whole time," Danielle muttered, pulling her hand back and getting back to her chore. "Just because you were too daft to notice her..."

Dash opened his mouth to argue that he was woozy and taking in the settings wasn't exactly easy given the circumstances but before he got a word out the other woman started talking.

"He finally awake?" Kitty asked as she stood up and moved next to the bed to watch. "How long ago?"

"Just a few minutes. He seems okay, talkative and can move around just fine. Seems like the tough, enduring type, so I don't think they're much to worry about. I think pure stubbornness would pull him through if nothing else," Danielle replied. She was smiling at him as she talked to the other woman and Dash tried to figure out if he was being insulted or complimented. He got the strangest feeling that paradoxes like that weren't unusual for her.

"Was I asleep for a while then?"

"Only for about an hour I think, but I don't blame you for being a bit tired. It's almost dusk after all and we've been tending to him all day."

"What's his name anyway? Did he tell you?"

"No, but I didn't even ask, honestly."

"Hey, you could just ask me. I'm right here," he said, getting the impression he was no longer included in the conversation.

"Well, I imagine we'll be stopping soon," Kitty said, not seeming to really be paying attention to him. She'd moved to a small window and was now peering past the curtains. "We made good time today. We'll probably get to the capital at least a day in advance, if not more."

"With any luck, yes."

"Hey," he tried again.

"So, what do you think about the new girl?"

"The one who came with him?" she asked. "I don't really have an opinion honestly."

"I saw her get all huffy when she was offered food. Honestly, she seems a bit haughty to me."

"HEY!" Dash yelled this time, tired of being ignored and not liking the insult Kitty had made at Sam's expense.

Kitty and Danielle both look at him before the white haired one grabbed a small polished jar and brush, opening it to reveal more of the badly smelling salve.

"Yes?" she asked as she started to brush some back onto his cuts. His pain was beginning to numb all over again, but he also felt like he was going to gag all of a sudden. He really didn't like that smell.

"I... I... ugh..." without another word he pushed Danielle away from him and leaned over to the side. Kitty immediately rushed over, grabbed a bucket and shoved it in front of his face before the contents of his stomach forced themselves out of him and into the iron-cast pail.

"Poor thing. Are you okay?" she cooed and brushed his hair back for him. He shook his head in response, feeling worse than when he had woken up. "Don't feel bad. The medicine is pretty strong. Guess we're used to the herb's smell so it doesn't bother us as much."

As catty as she had been a second ago, Dash was surprised for her to be acting so kind and motherly now. Helping him to rest back in the bed, she took the rag and rinsed it out in the water before dabbing away at the sweat on his face.

"He'll need some more sleep after this," Danielle noted as she went back to applying the salve. He groaned and wrinkled his nose, glad she at least finished quickly before closing the jar. He watched her take bits of wool and press it against his wounds before pulling out cleans strips of bandages.

She had just started unwinding them when the wagon creaked to a stop. Shaking her head, she muttered a soft, "Finally," before turning to Kitty.

"Go ahead and let the others know he's awake, and get his companion. I imagine she'll be just as eager to see him as he'll be for her," she instructed the other. A swift nod was the only response she got before Kitty opened the door and slipped out, closing it behind her with a snap.

"I really need you to sit up," Danielle told him once they were alone. "Can you or do you need my help?"

It was asked politely enough, but he grunted, not about to let her believe he couldn't do it himself and put his weight on his palms, forcing himself to get in the position she needed him. Setting to work, she started wrapping the bandages around his chest, reaching around him to grab the clothe from her other hand whenever she needed to. The binding was snug and comfortable, giving him the impression this was not the first time she had done something like this.

"After I'm finished with your torso, I'll need to see your head," she informed him as she worked. "I know you don't like the smell, but neither of us can afford to let that area get infected.

"Fine," he muttered and left it at that. The faster she was done and put that foul smelling jar away, the better in his opinion.

"So, you got all of these protecting that girl you were with," she commented, perfectly willing to make conversation despite his short responses. "That was pretty brave. She didn't have a scratch on her from what I noticed. You must have kept them all pretty busy."

"Well, I know how to fight," he replied. "And I'm a fairly big guy."

"I suppose compared to some you are," she replied with a chuckle.

"What's that suppose to mean?"

She shook her head.

"You'll see later on," she informed him. "Let's just say you're not the only guy with muscles around here. You don't look like much of a swordsman though and I didn't see any weapons on you. Brawler maybe?"

"I do what I have to win a fight," he replied.

"And do you win fights often?" she asked.

"All the time," he answered cockily. "I've got enough practice. If you think I look like a mess you should see what I did to the bandits."

"I'm sure it would be absolutely fascinating," she replied with an even tone and he couldn't tell if the girl was impressed or not. She tied up the bandages at one of his sides and snipped off the rest with the shears. "Now let's take a look at that head."

"Before that," he said, batting her hands away. This was probably going to be his last chance to get an answer and he really wanted one. "Tell me the truth. What are you?"

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you," she said, phasing her hands through his to get to the wrapping on his forehead. He yanked his back quickly, quickly going numb as if they'd just been shoved into snow. Shaking them a little, he cursed softly. That wasn't exactly a comfortable sensation.

"Are you even human?" he asked her. "Or are you really Death?"

"I have to admit, I don't often attribute muscular guys for having such wild imaginations," she sighed as she peeled the clothe away. She made a face and he guessed the gash on his head didn't look pretty. "I guess you are close though... in a way anyway. You've seen ghosts before, right?"

"Actually, no, I haven't," he answered truthfully. "I've heard stories though."

"You must have been pretty sheltered then, to have never seen even one," she commented. "Well... I guess you could call me a ghost in a way."

"You're dead?"

"No... well, not really," she explained as she started to dab the salve on his forehead. He tried not to gag again. "I'm... well, I have some abilities that ghosts do. I can turn invisible, phase through solid objects and people, move things with my mind, though that one is really hard. Takes a lot of concentration, and it's just easier to do it normally most of the time. It's actually not that spectacular when you think about it. Nothing really useful or flashy."

"So... you're like... half of a ghost?" he asked and looked over her pale skin and thin build. "You look it."

She glared at him, pulling the wrapping around his head and yanking it tight, causing him to wince in pain.

"Witch," he muttered.

"No, but we have one," she informed him. "So you better watch your mouth if you know what's good for you. Ember isn't a big fan of men to begin with."

"How come you can do all these things anyway?" he asked her suddenly.

"Actually... I don't really know. I've been able to do these things ever since I was a child. It's just part of me," she informed him. "Sorry that I'm not more interesting."

"That's not true. I think you're very interesting. Then again, you do work for the circus," he said, but he didn't get the reaction he thought he would. She merely raised an eyebrow at what he meant as a compliment and he had the distinct impression he had just offended her. Just when he thought he should clarify what he meant, the door opened up again, Sam and Kitty in the entrance.

"Dash," Sam said as she entered. "I'm glad to see you're alright. I don't know if you've been told anything but-"

"He has some cuts and gashes, but your friend should be just fine," Danielle said suddenly, standing and dusting off her dress. "His bandages are changed, and he isn't bleeding much anymore. Just a few spots here and there. By the time we get to the capital he should be just fine."

Moving gingerly past Sam, she walked out with Kitty as Dash watched her. He heard a bit of conversation while they were leaving though.

"What was all that about?" Kitty asked softly.

"I think those two would like a moment alone. A man and woman traveling together, he's obviously going to be getting some extra 'care' soon. I would rather not watch."

"Uh huh. So tell me, why was he holding your hand when I woke up?"

Dash arched his eyebrow at the question that had been accompanied by the faintest trace of a giggle. Women were so off in the head.

"They all think we're together," Sam said with a shrug as she sat down. Obviously she'd heard the words too. "I told Danny we're not, but apparently this group already formed their own opinion. Guess it's because we got to the camp and then the caravan set off so quickly. I didn't have proper time to explain anything."

"What do you mean?" he asked. "Where are we? What happened?"

"Well, after you drove off the bandits, I hid us both. We were found though, a couple people from this caravan. We're with the Circus Gothika right now. They've agreed to take us to the capital. Didn't you get told any of that?"

"Actually, I did," he admitted. "But I didn't know if I believed her when she told me. I mean, Circus Gothika of all things?"

"Yeah, it is kind of weird after everything we've heard about it. It's one of those things I guess we just never expected to see," she said. "And it does look pretty strange, but I think we had a stroke of luck regardless. We would have been stranded otherwise. We didn't have anything left."

"What? What about the mule, our money, supplies?" he asked. He was starting to see why they were there. Sam was not the type to accept help unless she had absolutely no other choice.

"Gone, all of it," she said with a sigh. "The bandits got that much at least. Between getting you safe and looking for our stuff, I was more concerned about you."

"But what will we open shop with?" he asked. "I mean-"

"Dash, we'll worry about all of that later on," she interrupted him. "The last thing I want to worry about is money. I'd rather know that you're okay."

"Well, I got a really weird welcome," he informed her. "But I'm not dead."

"That's something at least," she sighed. "I'm just grateful we're getting to the capital at all, even if it is under these circumstances. I don't like the owner much either. He strikes me as a bit of a snake in the grass. There's something just off about him."

"Is he really a vampire?" Dash asked curiously.

"He is."

"Well, there you go then," he said as he settled back down into the bed. He was a guy that liked simple solutions and even simpler explanations. "How trustworthy do you expect a vampire to be?"

"True," she admitted. "I'll just be happy when we get to where we're going. We can plan our next step from there."

#-#

"So, what's your impression of the people we picked up?" Danny asked his cousin as they worked to collect firewood. It was already twilight and the sun wouldn't be up much longer. It was better to get tinder and wood for the fire now while there was still some daylight. The light and warmth would be more than welcome once it became dark.

"I don't know if they'll fit in well here," she admitted, snapping a long branch into more manageable sizes. "That guy, Dash, seems pretty jumpy, and that girl he's with-"

"Sam," he interrupted.

"Right, whatever," she replied. "Kitty said she seems like a right little princess."

"Apparently she comes from money," he admitted, letting her know Kitty's assessment was correct. "She ran away from home because she didn't want to marry. She's a little extreme too. She claims she doesn't eat meat. I guess she thinks it's cruel."

Danielle laughed a little.

"Oh, I get it. A poor little rich girl," she chuckled. "Never did anything for herself and hates the fact she has everything yet no 'freedom'. I bet she ran off with a bit of her parent's things too. Doubt she had another way to pay for travel."

"Don't judge them too harshly," Danny said as he picked up a log. "They are our guest after all."

"No. Guests pay," she said, rubbing her fingers and thumb together to indicate money. "They're stragglers we picked up. They're grateful, and having some new faces has some benefits, but they are outsiders, rich ones too. How well could we really relate to them?"

"I don't think they'll be around long enough to bother anyone," he said. "Think about what they've just been through. I'm sure they'll be happy enough to have gotten helped out that they won't cause any problems. Besides, Vlad said you and Kitty are the ones to take care of him until we reach the capital, so try not to convince yourself too hard that you can't relate with them. It'll only make _**you**_ miserable."

"Well, Father has always been the type to help people," she said with a shrug. "And they'll be gone soon. Not like we can't afford to feed two more mouths during the trip."

"At the very least, it's a couple new people to talk to," he agreed, feeling it was better to make the best out of the situation.

They started to make their way back, both carrying armfuls of logs, sticks and twigs for the fire. Everyone else was already busy as well, tending to the animals or setting up for supper.

"Did she say anything to you during the ride?" Danielle asked.

"A little," he said. "Mostly it was Johnny and I talking though. We told her about the caravan. She seemed distracted the more and more we traveled though. Eventually we just kind of gave up. Aragon was sulking the whole ride too, but when has that ever been anything new? The silence was so thick you could have clubbed someone to death with it."

"Next time invite Freakshow or Technus to ride with you. That will solve your problem."

They both laughed at her joke as they set down the wood in the middle of their make-shift campground.

"They still need to be split, most of them look pretty solid," she said as she looked them over. "Why don't you go get an ax from Skulker? I can get the tinder sorted while you're gone."

"Okay," he said and nodded his head. "I'll only be a minute."

Walking quickly through the rest area for the night, Danny reached Skulker's wagon and skipped up the steps two at a time. He didn't see the troll hybrid outside working, so he assumed he was inside, probably setting up fresh bedding or food for his animals. Rapping sharply at the door, he only had to wait a couple moments before it opened and he was looking at the older man.

"Hello Skulker," he said as he smiled at the man. "Danielle and I need to borrow your ax. We have to chop up the firewood for tonight."

He received no verbal answer, the larger man simply glancing towards Danny's female cousin and seeing her working near the space where they had dictated would be a good place for the fire, sorting and breaking pieces she could into the sizes they would need. For some reason he raised an eyebrow at the boy when he looked at him again, and he wondered wildly what he had done wrong.

"Is this a bad time?" he asked quickly. "I'm sorry, I just thought that... Well, I actually came over here because Danielle suggested it. I didn't mean to-"

A finger pressed against his lips so quickly, he blushed suddenly from both the contact and embarrassment that he had been rambling like that. Skulker was still giving him that odd look, his eyebrow arched as he watched the younger man before finally smiling and shaking his head as he gave a deep throaty laugh. Danny wasn't sure what the odd reactions meant, but it did put him much more at ease.

"Wait a moment," he said, still chuckling in that deep rich voice of his. The young man watched him turn away and move into the wagon, coming back a few moments later with an ax held out for him. "Be carefully with it. Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself, boy."

"I can handle an ax," he replied indignantly despite himself. "I'm not a little boy anymore."

Skulker peered at him for a second before running a hand through the ghost boy's hair. The sensations felt like prickling sensation running over his skin, causing him to take a sharp intake of breathe before he was patted on his head and the hand withdrew.

"No," the troll said softly. "I suppose soon you won't be. I look forward to that day."

There was something about that way he said that that sent chills down Danny's spine, but before he could respond or even ask what he meant by that, Skulker shut the door in his face, his laughter still echoing in his ears as he stared at the wooden door, feeling both confused and hopelessly lost on what had just happened. He could do nothing but trudge back to his cousin, his head swimming.

#-#

Torchlight flickered gently in the long hall, the only source of light in the room. A long hall of about fifty paces made of stone, every few feet there were a pair of pillars on either side of a lush carpet. Despite the many torches, the room was somehow still very dark, an atmosphere intended to make visitors feel very uncomfortable.

It worked well too, a young man walking slowly through the room. He had never been in this sanctum before, and he was not entirely sure what was waiting for him. Swallowing a lump in his throat, he stopped at the end of the room and quickly descended to one knee before slowly raising his head. The sight of a large man sitting on a throne, a large sword resting off on one side. He was dressed in dark brown leathers and a white cotton shirt. It was a much more relaxed look than the young man had been expecting, but he wisely kept his opinion to himself.

He had heard rumors about the power of the man in front of him. None dared speak ill of the warlord, a man who called himself Phantom, at least, not when he was in ear shot. Still, rumors had a way of spreading. The man had heard he was a cruel enemy to have, and a savage man in battle, but he rewarded his men for their hard work. Still, there was something about him that kept the soldiers in line aside from just loyalty and good payment.

The man was only acting as a messenger. All he had to do was inform the warlord of the current battle situations and he could leave. Swallowing again and cursing the lump in his throat that would not go away, his eyes betrayed him and strayed to something he had been determined not to look at.

A man was sitting on the warlord's lap, dressed in shear silk and golden jewelry. Of course, dressed seemed like a very gracious term, as very little of his body was actually covered. In fact, the soft material only seemed to accentuate just how naked he really was. The soldier had seen whores who wore more. He thanked whatever gods were listening that at least the concubines most private area was covered, or otherwise he never would have been able to tear his eyes away.

No man working for Phantom did not know who this concubine was, and the messenger was just as informed as everyone else. A powerful oracle, the concubine was more than just an attractive bed mate for the warlord. Clockwork often predicted battle strategies, giving Phantom every detail he knew on how to strike out at his enemies in battle in order to ensure a victory. The numbers they faced, their enemies most vulnerable defenses, even what time it would be best to catch them unaware. There was no doubt in anyone's mind it was a combination of Phantom's malice and Clockwork's foresight that made them so victorious in all of their battles.

The oracle was never seen anywhere without Phantom, and the same was just as true the other way around. The messenger had heard his body was beautiful, but the description seemed grossly unfair and did not do the oracle justice. Lithe and smooth, his soft blue skin seemed to glow in the soft light, and white hair that looked just as soft to the touch as the silk did. He clung to Phantom, the expression dreamy and nuzzled the larger man, actually purring softly.

The messenger had always enjoyed the flesh of women, but even he found himself longing to touch the other man. Not that he would dare even seriously consider it. He had heard enough rumors about how possessive the warlord was. No one was allowed to touch the treasure sitting in his lap, and any who did soon found themselves without whatever body part had come in contact with the oracle.

It was no surprise that all of Phantom's soldiers gave Clockwork wide berth, terrified to even brush up against him on accident. Phantom's law, after all, had no exceptions.

"Speak," a low voice growled, jerking the soldier's eyes back to Phantom. If the warlord seemed to mind the soldier eying his property, he made no mention of it.

"Ah... yes, My Lord," he replied. "Your army made the advances on the latest country of your conquest. As you said, the defenses they had set up were not a problem. We-"

He was interrupted suddenly at a low moan filling the room. His voice seemed to die as he saw the oracle slither in the warlord's lap, now dragging his tongue over Phantom's neck, nibbling playfully. Phantom merely grinned and wrapped an arm around the oracle's waist. With a barest flick of his fingers, a knot was untied and fabric fell away to leave nothing to the messenger's imagination about the rest of the oracle's body.

Arching and moaning as Phantom started to stroke the flesh, Clockwork moved his hips slowly in a gentle rhythm. He whimpered and gasped, seeming to dance in his master's lap as he was played with. Licking his lips with a pert and soft pink tongue, every action screamed of desire and sex to the petrified soldier, unaware if he should look away or not. He didn't want to lose his eyes for watching, yet if he did, a small insane part of him was beginning to think that it would be more than worth it.

"Continue," Phantom ordered calmly, but the soldier in front of him could only swallow as he watched his lord sitting on his throne and teasing the smaller man in his lap. Clockwork tilted his head back, moaning lewdly as his member was stroked and teased in full display of the military man, not seeming to mind at all that he was being watched. "Don't let the silly little oracle distract you. He just needs his attention, like any pet."

"Y-yes My Lord," he stuttered, trying not to get aroused by the half dressed man clinging to the warlord in mewling for more. "The city fell as easily as you had hoped. We are now... now..."

Clockwork had begun to pull open his master's tunic, licking at his chest. Phantom didn't moan, but he did grin and tilt his head back for the briefest of a second. A soft growl sounded before he looked back down at the confused soldier.

"Yes?" Phantom urged him as he slid his hand down and swatted Clockwork's behind. The oracle flushed darkly before rubbing his hands over the warlord's chest and began raining kisses down his lord's chest, slinking off his lap as he began to kiss lower and lower in a sultry manner.

"We are now coming... CONTINUING to the capital!" the soldier forced himself to say as quickly as possible. "Y'hwun should fall without a problem!"

He hadn't meant for his voice to sound so strangled or loud, but he couldn't help it. He watched, half horrified and half aroused as Clockwork began to drag his tongue over Phantom's trousers, resting on his knees. The soldier was thankful the oracle's head hid everything from view. He didn't think he could survive if he saw anything more than what he was watching right now.

"Good. You may go now," Phantom replied with a smirk as he rested his head back, enjoying the attention he was about to receive. "Get out."

The soldier ran, not caring a bit about looking nervous anymore, as long as he was gone. He felt he needed a cold bath, or better yet, a prostitute to spend a few hours with.

Phantom grinned as he watched his soldier run for it, the double doors slamming behind him.

"Must you tease my men like that?" he asked with a throaty chuckle.

"I believe I act like this on your own request," Clockwork replied, looking at him with level eyes before he stood. He refastened the clothing around him, smoothing out the silk before it began to wrinkle. "It is after all at your demands that I play out this little act of yours."

"You love it," Phantom replied with a grin. "Don't lie and say you don't."

"Hmm," he murmured noncommittally. He seemed a far stretch from the whore he had been acting just a moment ago.

"We both know the men would question how I got an oracle working for me," Phantom replied with a shrug. "It's all just so much easier for them to think I kidnapped you from some temple and fucked you within an inch of your sanity. Why else would you do as I ask and help me conquer everything in sight."

"Why indeed?" Clockwork muttered.

Phantom frowned, standing and grabbing the oracle's wrists.

"Don't get haughty with me," he hissed angrily. "I'm doing this for you. All of it. These soldiers, the lands I'm destroying or taking over, even the name I took. It was all for you."

"I know," Clockwork breathed, kissing the other man to soothe his anger. "I never said anything to suggest otherwise."

"And yet you sulk like this," Phantom accused.

Clockwork smiled a little bitter sweetly.

"I was not sulking," he replied. "It's only that... it's getting very close to the time we have been working for. I know it must happen, but that does not mean I am looking forward to it. I just want-"

"You need to stop thinking like that," Phantom whispered, his tone soft now. "I keep telling you, you're wrong. I'm not going to let go of you."

"I'm never wrong," Clockwork informed him.

"You are about this," he replied before he sat down, pulling the oracle with him and kissing his throat. "I'll never let go of you, and I am not going to die. You worry too much."

Clockwork would have replied that seeing the future did not constitute as worrying, but a mouth on his cut him off. Moaning softly, the oracle dug his fingers into the deep black hair of his lover. His hips were pulled forward as he straddled the warlord, his lips opening to deep the kiss.

Arms wrapped around him, hugging him fiercely, possessively. He knew very well that Phantom considered the oracle to be his and his alone. He thought he possessed the mythical being, able to do whatever he wanted with him, whenever he wanted with him. He thought he would have the oracle forever and never be forced to let him go. And the oracle, despite knowing otherwise, wished that it was true.

He remembered when he first met the man, when life had been so much simpler. Clockwork had sought him out, despite the laws of his kind. It was forbidden to predict the future to the mortals in such a way. They were only allowed to help those who found them, give them only one prediction of whatever they asked before sending the answer seeker on his way. Interfering was not allowed, yet Clockwork could not help himself. It seemed so cruel to not stop what was going to happen, and Phantom was the only one who could help.

It had been years of working together, breaking every taboo his race had that had allowed them to accomplish so much. And in all of the time, the oracle had given his body to Phantom. He craved the touch of the human, it making him feel such desires he had never even dreamed of while he had lived in solitude, alone and cut off from the world. His body would always need the attention of his mortal lover, and he had never even considered fighting against it.

"Now, I know I removed this for a reason," Phantom growled playfully as he pulled the material from Clockwork, seeing his hard member. Chuckling, he licked his lips and trailing a finger over it. "Little oracle want some attention?"

He would have snorted at the stupid question, but he saw no reason to. Instead he only kissed the other, rubbing himself into Phantom's hand as he pressed close. His length was already hard and weeping, needing the mortal man he was straddling.

"I love you," he breathed softly, his hips moving in a gentle pace.

"I know you do," Phantom breathed. "I love you too."

The oracle gave a sudden cry of delight as he was squeezed gently. Hands snaked to his naked bottom, rubbing and teasing the flesh. Panting, he flattened himself against the human and thrust his hips out, pushing himself into the hands playing with him. His face heated up and he moaned loudly, twisting a bit as the flesh was kneaded and squeezed.

"Oh... ah... Phantom," he gasped. "More. Oh please... more..."

"As if you really need to ask," Phantom breathed. Leaning in close, he gently bit at Clockwork's neck, dragging his tongue over his taunt throat. "I'd give you anything you asked for. You know that."

Yes, he did know that. Phantom trusted him significantly. It was something that made him love the man so much. He was sacrificing so much, all on Clockwork's word that it was the right thing to do. He was giving up everything he could have been, trusting the oracle with only the briefest of words. The rest of the world may see him as a cruel monster, but the oracle knew the truth. He knew the man Phantom was, the goodness he was capable of him, and it only made him need the man all the more.

Flesh melded together as they held each other and kissed. Soft moans escaped the oracle and dark and lusty growls slipped past the lips of the warlord. The room seemed to heat up as Phantom's tunic was pulled off and tossed to the floor, their naked chests rubbing against each other, slicked with sweat. Passion burned inside of Clockwork's lower stomach, his tongue wrestling with his lover's before eventually giving in and submitting to the warlord's pace.

Arms wrapped around his neck, feeling good and happy in his embrace. He didn't really believe Phantom's words that he was wrong. He had long ago seen the mortal's death, had warned the other, keeping nothing from him. Phantom had only laughed, telling him Clockwork had to be losing his touch. He had never been wrong before.

And yet, he wanted to be wrong now. He wanted so desperately for the mortal to be right, that he had simply seen something that was not actually going to happen. He really did want to be in the others embrace forever, never to lose him. He wanted to believe that Phantom could do anything, even defy fate, just to be with the oracle. A small part of him hoped too, a desperate part of him, that if anyone could do such a thing, it was his lover.

"You're thinking again too much," Phantom breathed. "I can tell. Relax. Just enjoy the moment."

"You always say that."

"I keep hoping you'll listen to the advice."

Living in the moment. Seemed like a simple enough thing. Of course, for an oracle, it was anything but. Gifted and cursed with infinite knowledge and foresight, their minds were very rarely on just what was going on around them.

He sometimes thought he did in fact think too much.

Smiling softly, he gently took a hold of his lover's pants and tugged them down. Taking the warlord's flesh in his hands, he stroked gently. He smiled at the expression of pleasure on Phantom's rugged features, glad he was the one allowed to see this side of him. It was a gift that he would always treasure.

"Clockwork," he hissed softly. "I need... I need..."

"Yes?" he breathed, knowing he was teasing the other.

"I need you," he gasped, holding him close. "And I know you need me too."

"Yes," he replied with a smile before kissing his forehead gently. "I do. More than I think even you know."

The oracle stood, peeling away the strips of cloth clinging to his body, leaving him in nothing but the golden ornaments he wore. Phantom watched him hungrily as the smaller man walked to a cabinet, holding various oils and creams for whenever they began to play, which was quite often really, consider their appetite for each other. Picking one after a moment of consideration, he moved languidly back to his lover and uncapped the glass bottle. The scent of rosemary filled the small space between as he poured it over Phantom's lap, smearing it over his pulsing skin as the warrior groaned.

"Gods, you're such a little minx," he gasped with a grin, pulling the other into his lap. "Get on, little oracle. I have something for you."

It was hardly romantic, but Clockwork did not mind. In his own way, Phantom words had their own power over the oracle, spoken delicately or growled out in lust. Both were equally perfect to him, something he treasured however he was spoken to, because it was enough that he was the one Phantom spoke to.

Phantom let the oracle set the pace as he sat in his lap, spreading his own body as he sunk down on the other. Soft moans and gasps filled the room as he moved his body up and down on his lover, arching and driving his hips down in perfect ecstasy. Gripping the warlord's shoulders for leverage, he smiled at the other, licking his lips. This was something the had done often, and it still wasn't old. He didn't think that it ever could be.

It was comfort itself, moments like this when the rest of the world didn't matter. Phantom had had him the day they had first met, enraptured by his unearthly beauty, and completely unaware that Clockwork had found him just as beautiful and endearing. Their relationship had grown since that, and this dance, while so familiar to both of them, was still just as wonderful and loving as it had been their first time. Maybe even more so.

"Promise me you won't die," he whispered softly.

"I promise."

"Promise me you'll love me forever."

"You know I will."

Clockwork swallowed hard, hugging the man.

"Promise me that I'm wrong," he whimpered.

Phantom groaned, bracing himself on his throne with one arm and wrapping the other around his oracle as he began to thrust up into his lover, raining kisses down his neck.

"I promise I won't leave you, Clockwork," he gasped. "Ever."

He cried out at the sensations of his body being taken, clinging to the other. It was times like this that he really could believe. They had already accomplished so much... was living past this so hard to accept? He only wished his premonition was wrong.

"I gave up everything, for you," Phantom growled in his ear. "I won't be cheated from my reward so easily."

Shuddering, Clockwork gave into the needs of his body and moved with the other, reveling in the lie his lover told him. But for the moment... he didn't care.

#-#

The night air seemed seemed cool and crisp, yet Dash felt as if he were sweating a little. His insides felt hot, but his body was chilled and damp with sweat. He didn't feel like he had a fever, glad for something at least, but his body still felt unnaturally warm for some reason.

He figured it was the fact he was still in the damned wagon. It was honestly baking in here. Danielle had come in to check up on him, ordering him to stay put before letting Sam know that it was time for dinner. The ghost girl had promised him a plate as well, but when she had left it for him, he hadn't eaten much. His appetite just didn't seem to be with him right now, and he wasn't going to force himself, not in the mood to accidentally throw up again.

He hadn't seen Sam for a while now, wondering if she had gone to bed somewhere else. He wasn't sure how late it was, but it seemed odd she would have not have not come in to say goodnight.

Trying to sleep seemed pointless. His mind was buzzing with his thoughts, and he was never the type to sit still. Groaning, he forced himself up out of the bed and made his way to the door, opening it to check to see what was going on.

His eyes widened immediately, the scene before his surprising. A roaring bonfire was in the middle of the camp, and music he had not heard before now filled his ears, flutes and drums playing by people he did not know. He wondered briefly how he could not have noticed the music before when his eyes locked on the people around the fire. Five people were dancing in total, all of them women save for a skinny man with black hair and a goatee and a brown haired man. He recognizing Kitty as she twirled around the fire with the brown haired one. Dash's eyes narrowed as the man's shadow seemed to flicker strangely, out of sync with the flickering of the fire. Was he imagining that?

The black-haired man danced alone, as did a fully figured woman dressed in earthly brown tones, her body moving with experience and grace as she snapped her fingertips and the golden trinkets tied to her waist jingled merrily in time to the music.

But Dash's eyes pulled away from her and locked on the last person dancing, a pale skinned girl in a white dress as she moved and swayed. Dirt kicked up a little as she moved, her eyes closed, yet she didn't bump into or even brush against the other dancers. It was as if she was alone around the fire, her arms and legs swaying in an almost hypnotic way. The steps were graceful, yet wild, the music seeming to follow her rather than the other way around. Hair swishing in the night air, sweat glistened of her skin in the firelight and made her cotton dress cling to her in all of the right places.

The song ended, as did the dance. Applause rang out and the others laughed, taking mock bows. Danielle however, opened her eyes and looked straight at Dash. She seemed surprised to see him, and he was too embarrassed by his staring to be able to look away. She smiled coyly however and moved towards him.

"Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?" she asked him, her tone a little teasing.

"I couldn't," he replied.

"Really?" she asked. "Was it the music? I thought I asked Ember to enchant the wagon so you wouldn't hear anything."

"No, no that wasn't it," he replied. "I was just wondering where Sam was."

"Oh, I see," she replied before looking behind her and pointing. The woman in question was sitting on a log that had been drug out to the camp, sitting next to another woman in a pointy hat and a low cut dress. "Ember is keeping her entertained. Why? Did you want to talk to her? I can get her if you like."

Dash only shook his head.

"No, I'm fine," he said. "I just wanted to make sure she was okay."

"Afraid we'll fatten her up and eat her?" Danielle asked, a soft laugh following. "She's fine. It's you I'm worried about. You shouldn't be up and standing like that."

"Don't mock me," he warned her.

"Who's mocking you?" she asked, getting on the steps with him and looking up at him with a wicked smile. "I just don't want to see you hurt yourself, that's all."

She was awfully close to him, which is probably the only reason why he took a step back. The action seemed to amuse her, taking another step forward and closing the gap between them.

"Do I still scare you?" she breathed. "I already told you, I'm not Death."

Dash didn't disagree. At the moment, she seemed like something much worse. Maybe it was just the lighting, how the fire behind her made her seem to glow, or how he could see much more clearly now the shape of her body with the way the soft material was sticking to her. He had a feeling if he reached out and touched her, he's lose his hand shortly afterward.

"I think I'll be sleeping after all," he said, quickly turning from her and wobbling back to the bed. He didn't see it, but she arched an eyebrow at his behavior before shrugging.

"If that is what you wish," she replied. "Shall I keep you company until you fall to your dreams?"

"You don't have to," he told her.

"I never said I had to," she informed him. "I asked if you wanted me to."

He was sure there was not much more to her words than what she had said, and sighed as he laid down. His head was swimming a little, his eyelids feeling heavy.

The sight or her hadn't been so much erotic as it was beautiful, but in a terrifying sort of way. She seemed very strange to him in every way, but he was too big of a man to admit it. He had not encountered many mystical things in his life with Sam, really little more than just a country boy. A girl like Danielle was a mystery to him, yet it seemed to have a very strange draw on his mind.

"Dash?" she asked softly when he did not answer her.

"Stay," he found himself saying softly.

She obliged and sat down on the bed next to him, brushing a few blond locks away from his forehead.

"If that is what you wish," she repeated, smiling down at him.

He was unaware of it, but she watched him for a long time, even after he had drifted off. She wondered why he had been unable to sleep, yet dozed almost immediately when she'd entered the room. Poor man had to be exhausted. Well, easing his fears about the girl had seemed all he had wanted. The guy did seem pretty decent, caring a lot for the woman.

'Yet she insists you two aren't an item,' she mused to herself. 'Such a waste really. Hmm, little rich girl can't see what a catch you are. Almost a shame really.'

She laughed a bit to herself, shaking her head. It wasn't quite clear what Dash's feeling were. Danielle told herself she may just have to ask him sometime before he left. He seemed a bit daft, but considering he did have a hole in his head at the moment, she supposed she couldn't hold that against him. He seemed like he'd be a bit more fun if he were able to be up and about, of course, he might be more mouthy too.

He sure did love to talk back after all.

Eventually the music died and Danielle heard everyone say their good nights. Sam came in, but Danielle did not leave, not feeling like it. The woman said nothing to her, simply saying a good night to an unconscious Dash. It didn't seem fair to dislike Sam, but she couldn't help but feel a small prickle at the words before promptly squashing the feeling. Danny had told her to play nice, and that was what she was going to do.

That didn't mean she still didn't like the woman. Something about her just bugged the pale girl.

"Can I sleep in here with him?" Sam asked, looking the blond man over.

There was no reason not to let her, so Danielle shrugged.

"If it makes you more at ease, it's fine with me," she replied. Standing, she bid the woman goodnight before making her way out, coming face to face with a smirking Kitty.

"Not one word," she warned.

"He was staring at you," Kitty replied smoothly.

Danielle merely rolled her eyes and went back to her own wagon. She needed some sleep. The day had been far to long for her liking, and it would be best to just put it behind her. With Kitty practically bouncing behind her, she made her way across the now dead fire and snuggled into her cot, already waiting for the morning to come.

End of Chapter 2

And here you have it. The end of chapter two. I hope that you enjoyed it. More plot, more smut, more people having very naughty feelings for one another. Heh. I'm so bad.

I really didn't intend for there to be more smut right off that bat, but I wanted to show that yes, Clockwork and Phantom are very much into each other in this fic. Yeah, they're getting it on alright. And what's this about Clockwork helping take over the world willingly, it even being his idea? Ah, foreshadowing. You gotta love it.

As always, please review to let me know what you thought. Every girl likes to hear she is appreciated after all.


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